Saturday, February 14, 2015

The Top Five Mistakes You Will See
Lifters Make at a Powerlifting Meet

By Keith Payne

As
a spectator, former lifter and coach I have attended well over a 100
powerlifting meets. I have directed over a 140 additional IBP meets. So, I have
participated in one fashion or another 240 powerlifting meets. Over the course
of these events I have witnessed the same lifter mistakes being made time after
time.

I
started to name this article The Top Five Novice Mistakes but after
further reflection I remember that these mistakes were made by many “veteran”
lifters as well. As a meet director you always want to see people have a
positive experience and go home encouraged about their performance.
Unfortunately, many times lifters have negative results due to lack of coaching,
poor knowledge of the rules or being unfamiliar with the flow of a powerlifting
meet.

Here
are the most common mistakes we see:

Not understanding the rules. Having a good comprehension of the rulebook can
alleviate the majority of the following mistakes that are repeatedly made at
most powerlifting meets. Many Novice lifters fail to have a basic knowledge of
the lifting rules. It is imperative that a lifter is well versed on the rules!

Also,
many veteran lifters are not aware of the rule differences between different
powerlifting organizations. Many times it is assumed that the rules are the
same.

(Example:
USAPL has a start command when benching. IBP does not.)

Please
attend and participate in the rules meeting prior to each meet. Always feel free
to ask questions if needed.

Opening with too much weight. Countless lifters have bombed out of meets because
they started with a weight that was too heavy. Keep in mind the
bar will not be reduced in weight in the case of a failed attempt. So, if the
first attempt is missed the lifter must retry the same weight or move up in
weight on the next attempt. It is very important to choose a weight that can be
comfortably completed.

Not following judge’s commands. Many otherwise good lifts have been declined because
of a simple “technical” rules violation. The RACK command comes to mind as the most egregious.

Apparel Infractions. Lifters have been known to show up to a meet with no
understanding of what they are required to wear. They end up rushing around
before the meet trying to find a singlet or appropriate footwear. This can ruin
a powerlifting experience.

Novice Lifter wearing supportive suit or shirt. It is a sad sight to see a novice lifter who many
times has been encouraged by a coach or co-lifter to wear a squat suit or bench
shirt when clearly they have not even established any “raw” strength yet. This
is ignorant and many times dangerous for the lifter.

Well
that is my top five but there are certainly many more mistakes that are
commonly made at powerlifting meets. As stated before, we want every lifter to
have a positive powerlifting experience. Most of the time mistakes can be
avoided by a good understanding of the rules. Also, we encourage all new
lifters to find a good mentor. The sport of Powerlifting unlike some other
sports is known for an abundance of competitors willing to help other
competitors.